Benefood

Vegetarian Diet
The term "vegetarian" is used to describe any diet that emphasizes the consumption of plant foods and discourages the consumption of animal foods. In its most restrictive form, a vegetarian diet excludes all animal foods, including animal flesh, dairy products and eggs. Vegan, macrobiotic, and fruitarian diets fall into this category. Less restrictive forms include the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (includes dairy products and eggs) and the lacto-vegetarian diet (includes dairy products). The popularity of vegetarianism is on the rise in the United States, and converts cite personal health, spiritual and religious beliefs, concern about animal welfare, and distress about the economic and environmental consequences of a meat-based diet as reasons for adopting a plant-based diet. This movement towards vegetarianism is consistent with a growing body of research that touts the health benefits of plant-based diets including lower rates of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and heart disease. When carefully planned and well-balanced, vegetarian diets provide sufficent amounts of all essential nutrients. However, because infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women have increased caloric and nutrient needs, care must be taken to include a variety of foods from all food groups (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and, for those vegetarians who consume them, eggs and/or dairy products) to ensure that nutritional needs are met.
Are you a vegetarian? If so, you are in good company! Famous vegetarians include Mahatma Ghandi, Carl Lewis (Olympic athlete), Natalie Merchant (musician); Vanessa Williams (actress and singer); Raffi (children's musician); Dean Ornish, MD (cardiologist and author); Paul McCartney (rock musician); Desmond Howard (Heisman trophy winner); Dustin Hoffman (actor); Tony LaRussa (pro-baseball manager); and Fred Rogers (TV's Mr. Rogers).
In general, the term "vegetarian" is used to describe any diet that emphasizes the consumption of plant foods, avoids the consumption of animal flesh, and discourages the consumption of other animal products. In its most restrictive form, a vegetarian diet excludes all animal foods, including animal flesh, dairy products and eggs. Vegan, macrobiotic, and fruitarian diets fall into this category. Less restrictive forms include the lacto-ovo vegatarian diet (includes dairy products and eggs) and the lacto-vegetarian diet (includes dairy products). Interestingly, many people who claim to be "vegetarian" do not fit into any of the categories above. Many who consider themselves vegetarian eat fish on occasion, while other self-defined vegetarians include poultry and/or pork in their diet.
To be considered healthy, a vegetarian diet should include daily consumption of a variety of foods from all the plant groups, such as grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, plant oils, herbs and spices. To maximize the nutritional value of their diet, vegetarians should choose whole, organic, minimally processed foods, and go easy on highly processed foods, junk foods and sweets. A vegetarian diet featuring lots of chips, cookies and frozen confections, even if made from organic ingredients, will not promote health.

Foods Emphasized

Vegetarian diets emphasize the consumption of grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, soy products, nuts, and seeds.

Foods Avoided

All true vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, and poultry. Strict vegetarian diets also exclude dairy products and eggs, while more liberal vegetarian diets include dairy products and eggs.

Nutrient Excesses/Deficiencies

Historically, vegetarian diets have been condemned by nutritionists for providing inadequate amounts of several important nutrients that are found primarily in animal foods including iron, protein, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. However, it is now widely accepted by most nutritionists that vegetarian diets, when a variety of plant foods are included, can meet or exceed the nutritional requirements of most individuals.
Although vegetarian diets do tend to be lower in iron than meat-based diets, vegetarians do not have a higher rate of iron deficiency anemia than meat eaters. This may be explained by the fact that the iron found in vegetarian diets (in vegetables and unrefined grains) is often accompanied, in the food or in the meal, by large amounts of vitamin C, which increases the absorption of the mineral.
Vegetarians also tend to eat less protein than meat-eaters, but their intake still exceeds the required amounts. Several decades ago, it was believed that vegetarians had to eat complementary proteins at each meal to ensure adequate intake of all the essential amino acids. It is now known that vegetarians need not worry about complementary proteins at each meal, as long as they ensure intake of foods containing all essential amino acids during the day. For more information on complementary proteins, see the article on protein in our nutrient database.
Since vitamin D-fortified milk is the primary food source of vitamin D in the United States, vegetarians who exclude dairy products from their diet may require a supplemental source, especially if they do not have consistent exposure to the sun.
As is the case with vitamin D, the calcium intake of vegetarians depends to a great extent on whether or not dairy products are included in the diet. All vegetarians should incorporate plant foods (dark green leafy vegetables and organic tofu) that contain calcium, but this is especially important for those who exclude dairy products. Interestingly, because vegetarian diets tend to be lower in protein, vegetarians may retain more calcium than meat-eaters, thus promoting bone health.
Vegans must pay attention to their intake of vitamin B12 since this vitamin occurs primarily in animal foods, and its deficiency can cause a variety of irreversible neurological problems. A study published in 1999 involving 245 Australian Seventh-day Adventist ministers evaluated the vitamin B12 status of lactovo-vegetarianns and vegans who were not taking vitamin B12 supplements. Seventy three percent of the participants had low serum vitamin B12 concentrations. (Hokin, 1999) Interestingly, vitamin B12 cannot be made by animals or plants, but only by microorganisms, like bacteria. When plant foods are fermented with the use of B12-producing bacteria, they end up containing B12. Otherwise, they usually don't. Sea plants are an exception to the fermented plant rule since they can contain small amounts of B12 from contact with microorganisms in the ocean. Although animals cannot make vitamin B12, they are able to store B12 in their liver and muscles. The storage of B12 by animals explains why animal foods are the primary food sources of dietary B12.
Another nutrient to which vegetarians should pay special attention is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is an omega 3 fatty acids believed to play an important role in the development and function of the central nervous system, as well as the eyes. It occurs naturally in meat, fish, eggs, and milk. DHA an also be synthesized by the body from alpha-linolenic acid, an omega 3 essential fatty acid, although it is not yet clear to what extent this conversion actually takes place. This process is slowed by the presence of large amounts of another essential fatty acid called linoleic acid, which is an omega 6 fat found in corn, safflower and sunflower oils. Vegetarians, and especially vegans, may want to supplement with DHA. To maintain a beneficial ratio of omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6 fatty acids, they may also want to and/or substitute foods containing alpha-linolenic acid, such as flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and soybeans for foods containing linoleic acid.

Who Benefits

A vegetarian diet may be especially beneficial for overweight individuals, as well as for women with premenstrual syndrome and individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure and/or cardiovascular disease.

Who is Harmed

Because infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women have increased caloric and nutrient needs, individuals in any of these groups choosing to follow a vegetarian diet must take care to include a variety and adequate amount of food from all food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds) to ensure that nutritional needs are met.

Menu Ideas

These vegetarian recipes were developed by the George Mateljan Foundation.

Resources

For additional information about vegetarianism, contact the following organizations: